Wild Things

I've had an interesting morning, starting with taking the cover off my car, when I noticed this bright green grasshopper type clinging to my windshield. I've never seen a grasshopper look like this before, but then I never lived in the South either. It had thin, spindly legs, super long antennae; it was flat like a pea pod and very slow moving, not like the grasshoppers that I know that pounce away as soon as you barely touch them. This one sort of moved like a chameleon. (I just learned this insect is called a Kadydid. How interesting! Thank you, Gwen.) When I visited my friend at Bank's Lake National Wildlife Refuge, we saw three alligators in the water near the pier. This was the first time since I lived here that I could see them so well. Too bad my camera doesn't have a better zoom lens, so I had some serious cropping to do. (You can see them better if you click on the photos to enlarge them on your screen.) It was amazing to see them slowly come closer when my friend was gently calling out to them. She's an avid wild life advocate and has been around these alligators for some time now. Feeding of the wildlife is strictly prohibited here at Bank's Lake and she's always telling people to not do it, because it's dangerous for the people and the animals. It is also against the law to take anything from this refuge as the animals and plants are under wildlife protection, but there is always someone who thinks that they are above the law and it's usually the animals that get destroyed when something goes wrong. On the way home, I stopped at Lake Irma, where Gizzy and I have our regular walks. While sitting on a bench with Gizzy, I saw a white Egret under the bridge. I often watch them wade through the water, poking their long beaks into the mud to search for fish. I have seen them congregate in the tops of those bald cypress trees around the lake where they apparently nest. It's amazing to see flocks of these big, white birds in the tree tops high above the water. It was not quite 10 am and the morning light cast interesting shadows on the ground and the water. Looking to the left, I noticed the Anhinga bird sitting on his usual rock in the center of the lake, wings outstretched, seemingly worshipping the morning sun. People here call this bird "snake bird" because he swims in the water with his whole body submerged and only his long neck and beak sticking out, just gliding along, only erect, not like a snake that swims flat on the water's surface. Here's a better picture of him sunning that I found on the internet: Lastly, here are some photos of my boy sitting on the bench by the lake, with our car in the back ground - YES, it's Gizzy's too ;-) When Gizzy started to look a bit uncomfortable due to the heat, I decided it's time to go into our cool home. (Thank God for air conditioning!) One last photo taken out the car window while driving home.